This invention relates to a dispensing apparatus for carbonated beverages. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus for storing and dispensing carbonated beverages such as beer and soft drinks in bulk packages such as a keg.
Carbonated beverages such as beer and soft drinks are sold in small individual servings utilizing cans and bottles and in bulk utilizing rigid pressurized canisters known in some instances as kegs. When kegs are used an air pump is required to maintain proper pressure within the keg as the beverage is dispensed so that carbonation is not lost from the beverage to the void created by the loss of the beverage.
The great advantage of utilizing a keg over a bottle or can is the cost savings in packaging. In the soft drink industry where cans and bottles are used, packaging often accounts for up to 60% of the total cost of the beverage product and in the beer industry packaging may be up to 40% of the total cost. However, by using a returnable keg, the packaging cost is substantially reduced. However the use of a rigid keg has certain disadvantages. The kegs are expensive to manufacture, are heavy, and must be returned to the brewery or bottling plant to be cleaned, sterilized and refilled, which adds to the cost. The return trip to the plant with empty kegs also results in fuel cost. Furthermore, for use in the home traditional metal kegs are cumbersome and a substantial deposit is required for the keg and an associated pump assembly.
In the past there have been attempts to utilize bags to carry and dispense carbonated beverages in bulk. Two such attempts are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,483 issued to Haggart, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,075 issued to Riley. The Haggart patent discloses the use of a polyethylene bag filled with a carbonated beverage. The bag is received inside a reinforced cardboard and plastic carton. A diaphragm is used to supposedly compress the plastic bag, preserving carbonation of the beverage.
The Riley patent discloses the use of a collapsible bag filled with a carbonated beverage which is received within a spiral wound cardboard cylinder which in turn is received within a cardboard box. An enclosing sleeve having an elastic memory so as to counteract outer pressure of the bag is discussed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,450 issued to Negaty-Hindi shows a bag which receives a carbonated beverage which in turn is received within a chamber. Negaty-Hindi utilizes resilient elements such as giant rubber bands to power a disk for exerting force on the bag as the beverage is dispensed to preserve carbonation. Negaty-Hindi also shows a spiral spring to push against the liquid filled bag. A ratchet mechanism also is utilized to retain the disk when the pressure in the bag becomes higher than the atmospheric pressure.
It is not believed that any of the above described beverage dispensing systems have met with substantial commercial success.